Moviemark DVD Indie Shorts Project: Volume 1

Every purchase you make through these Amazon links supports DVD Verdict's reviewing efforts. Thank you!

All Rise...

Judge Joel Pearce doesn't like his shorts in a bunch.

The Charge

Celebrating independence a few minutes at a time.

Opening Statement

While streaming video has been the medium of choice for many would-be
filmmakers, joining ranks with other indie artists to create a solid DVD release
has to be a more appealing option. This collection contains a wide variety of
shorts for film fans looking for something new and different. It certainly
offers that, although few people will be entirely pleased with this
collection.

Facts of the Case

This collection contains seven short films, produced and shot by independent
teams and released by Moviemark DVD. It offers these directors a chance to pool
their resources and reach a wider audience, which is difficult when many of the
films had a budget of around $100 and can't be released any other way. I will
review each of the stories separately, then talk about the package as a
whole.

The Evidence

• Asleep in the Deep Grade: C

A homeless woman named Alyce (Delilah Davis) moves into an old apartment
building, occupied by a strange group of unique characters. She finds herself
drawn by a highly skilled violin player that lives upstairs.

Strangely artsy, Asleep in the Deep is based on an H.P. Lovecraft
story. The heroine is caustic and strange, as she reads odd poetry to the mute
violin player and exchanges savage insults with the other tenants. The awkward
acting doesn't blend well with the harsh lighting. The dialogue is poetic but
completely impenetrable. It's hard to say whether the short is too short or too
long, though Alyse's shrill voice will stay with me longer than I would like. As
is true with the films of some European directors, opaque ambiguity doesn't
necessarily make for engaging cinema. In this case, it's just irritating and
alienating. Nice cinematography, though.

• Indebted Grade: A-

A man, closed in by debt, finds himself drifting deeper and deeper into
depression and isolation. It doesn't help that his wife doesn't allow him to see
his daughter, since he can't afford any alimony payments. As one last shot, he
phones to talk to his daughter…

Heartfelt and honest, Jose Rosete's contribution to this set tells a very
familiar story, but from a fresh perspective. Ramon (Jose Rosete) is trapped by
past choices, unable to pay alimony and reaching the end of his rope. It's the
kind of character that we are often expected to hate. In a matter of 15 minutes,
Ramon has a fascinating transformation and develops quite a bit considering the
stereotypical nature of the role. Through Indebted, we are asked to
remember that those we dismiss quickly still need to be treated as people.

• Midnight Snack Grade: D

Unable to sleep, a man goes down to his fridge, not realizing that something
sinister lurks in the shadow of his home.

Even in a truly independent collection, Midnight Snack is a bit of a
disappointment. Director Shawn Hunt had the wisdom to make his film short and
simple, but doesn't get much accomplished in that time. Although he demonstrates
the ability to shoot creepy sequences, there isn't a shock or twist big enough
to make this work as a horror piece.

• Boxed In Grade: B-

A young female criminal steps too far, and finds herself the owner of a dead
man's wooden box. She then gains the ability to control things around her, but
they may come with a terrible cost.

Clearly designed to be an update of the genie legend, "Boxed In"
does have a lot going for it. In particular, it features a strong lead
performance from Molly Hainline, who has an unusually expressive face and a
natural presence. The special effects work well for a zero budget film as well,
though the film ultimately fails to escape the limitations of the source story.
It tries to add a few twists along the way, but they are too complex for such a
short film. A commentary is included, with one person trying desperately to keep
director Daniel Heisel and cast on topic.

• The Locksmith Grade: B

A locksmith sneaks into the home of a new client, only to discover that she
has horrible secrets of her own. What he hoped would be a titillating evening of
voyeuristic thrills soon becomes a free fall into the worst kind of horror.

In terms of technical polish, The Locksmith deserves very high
accolades. It features three believable performances, genuinely creepy
cinematography, impeccable timing and pacing, as well as a healthy dose of good,
old fashioned gore thrills. Unfortunately, it also suffers from some of the
biggest lapses in logic I have ever seen. Victims go from being so weak that
they don't need to be restrained to suddenly being strong enough to hold another
person down. The conveniently named Smith simply collapses with no explanation
at one point. While director Jason Stephenson has almost certainly seen Takashi
Miike's Audition, he should have learned
from the horror masters that gore and thrills can't make up for the lack of a
good story.

A behind the scenes featurette was included, which gives a few insights into
how gore effects can be done well with almost no budget. There is also a brief
photo gallery for our perusal.

• Souled Grade: D

Two brothers share a farm, but increased pressure keeps the bills piling up,
but not the income. Something drastic needs to be done.

Although it's attractively filmed, Souled is not nearly as good as it
should have been. Weak performances from both of the leads and an unclear script
seriously undermine everything director Richard Marshall's tries to accomplish.
On a brighter note, the acoustic soundtrack works particularly well here.

• The Depression of Detective Downs Grade:
A

A detective chases down a kidnapper while battling his own feelings of
depression and hopelessness.

I think we still largely see animation as a source for light entertainment
most of the time, though The Depression of Detective Downs has a much
larger goal than that. It's a seven minute public service announcement regarding
depression, and what it's like to try to live and work while depressed. It
includes statistics, warning signs, causes and solutions, all crammed into an
engaging and entertaining narrative. It handles the issues without getting dull
or preachy, which is quite refreshing. The animation is quite rough, but the
rest of the production is highly polished. Depression is an issue that warrants
more attention, and this is a fine start. It comes with a bonus two minute short
entitled Not Until you Dance, which is a bit more heavy-handed.

In the end, I feel a bit bad criticizing this batch of films. After all,
this wasn't some huge studio production with hundreds of professionals behind
it. It's a collection of films made by people willing to put their unfunded
dreams into the living rooms of the world. These films are going to an audience
that has spent decades watching professionally produced, polished, feature
length films. We get jaded easily, and often don't have the patience or trust to
wade through such rough, personal cinema. Those who are willing to try something
new and different may find great rewards in a few of these films. But most of
these shorts aren't much better than the amateur attempts that can be found on
YouTube or Google Video. It is, however, a good way to support this kind of
production. Some of these directors have the potential to shoot the next big
thing, but it will take funding to make that happen.

The DVD itself is well produced. Moviemark DVD had the presence of mind to
separate each film, allowing it to maintain the original aspect ratio. Some are
in 1.33:1, some are letterboxed widescreen and a couple are anamorphic. By using
the transfer that was delivered by the filmmaker, Each looks as good as possible
given the filming conditions and camera quality. Be aware that most of these are
shot on cheaply available cameras, so don't come in expecting reference quality
film. The video and audio shows no DVD compression flaws, however, so all rough
spots here are due to the filming and editing. While there are few special
features (as mentioned above), what is present was created with the same level
of love and dedication that the films were.

Closing Statement

Should you rush out and buy this DVD? Probably not. For most viewers, this
collection will be saddled with enough disappointments that you would probably
be happier checking out some indie films online, then returning to more
commercial fare. If you're a big fan of indie filmmaking, this may be a good way
to support the industry while adding a few solid examples to your
collection.

The Verdict

I will consider this set not guilty, though it probably should have been
presented to a municipal judge instead.